You went WHERE!?

In 2016, I spent a whole month in Zimbabwe at Antelope Park on a Lion, Elephant and Wildlife conservation project. 3000 acres of open Savannah in central Zimbabwe home to Giraffe, Antelope, Zebra, Elephants, Lions, Wildebeest, countless birds and an incredible semi-wild enclosure that forms one stage of a conservation project aimed at breeding, raising, and releasing lions back into the wild to help the decline in population. In this enclosure, the lions form a bonded pride and have the ability to continue to naturally hunt within a human-free area.

I’m honestly not sure if the high concrete walls topped with barbed wire at Johannesburg airport made me feel safer or more un-easy. Not that it mattered because I soon found myself in a rickety tin plane with chunks missing out of the seats, on my way to Harare airport where I was picked up by an equally rickety van and taken to Antelope Park. These scenes are the absolute norm in Africa however not something I had previously experienced myself.

So, what exactly did I do during my time in Africa?
This was my first ever trip overseas so I spent a lot of time soaking in the different culture and embracing everything it had to offer which included the most delicious foods and heart warming songs. As a volunteer, I got to participate in some beautiful experiences and some not so pretty. Elephants interactions, lion feeding, enclosure cleaning, snare sweeps, boundary patrol, behaviour enrichment, meat preparation, reserve management (hazard reduction that got out of control and resulted in a trip to Harare hospital for me!), anti-poaching patrols, soccer games, lots of singing and dancing, trips into town to visit the kids and watching an awesome game of Polo-crosse.

I will always hold very fond memories of the experiences I shared with some beautiful people during the month long trip.

Want to have your very own piece of Africa in your home? You can purchase a print directly from the links below.